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Youth leader: Missions about who, where you are
Dianna L. Cagle, BR Assistant Managing Editor
April 08, 2011
5 MIN READ TIME

Youth leader: Missions about who, where you are

Youth leader: Missions about who, where you are
Dianna L. Cagle, BR Assistant Managing Editor
April 08, 2011

“All the money in the world will leave you wanting,” said

David Nasser to youth at a recent event.

But students need to follow Jesus’ example of meeting needs,

said Nasser, an author and speaker based in Alabama.

Nasser was the main speaker April 2 at the Student Missions Conference at

Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. He said a lot of church members “need

Jesus plus something else to be satisfied.”

The student event, which drew 210 students and leaders,

coincided with the April 1-2 North Carolina Baptist Men’s Missions Conference,

also at Calvary (see story, page 16).

Using John 6:35 Nasser

said that when Jesus claimed to be the “bread of life,” He was also laying

claim to being the Messiah.

“Jesus is basically saying I’m everything,” Nasser

said.

People had followed Jesus because he had fed the 5,000 with

a young boy’s lunch. He had also performed other miracles.

“This is real life,” Nasser said,

emphasizing that the miracles Jesus performed were real. Basically, Nasser

explained, there were almost 15,000 people who forgot to pack a lunch.

“The greatest preacher of all time walks into an environment

where there are hungry people and He feeds them,” Nasser

said.

“The next day … He confronts them with the truth.”

Nasser said meeting that immediate

need usually results in the question, “Why do you care?”

This opens the door to share about Jesus.

BR photo by Dianna L. Cagle

Youth get in a row boat and sing during Captain’s Coming at the April 2 Student Missions Conference at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. The game was part of a class on Icebreakers for students to use in their youth group or on a mission trip. See photo gallery.

Worship for the youth conference was led by Giles

Blankenship, minister of worship and college students at Snyder

Memorial Baptist

Church in Fayetteville.

“I think it was very successful,” said Tom Beam, Baptist Men

student missions and mobilization consultant. “We heard very positive

comments.”

Breakout sessions

There were times for mission action conferences aimed at

youth and their leaders. Students and leaders going with Deep Impact trips to Honduras

and New York had to attend two

training sessions to discuss travel arrangements as well as expectations and

projects.

Brandon Powell, minister of education and students at Cross

Road Baptist Church

in Asheboro, brought his group of

18 that will be going on the Honduras

trip. Powell also led their training sessions as well as a couple of

conferences on effective evangelism.

Trips to Honduras

and New York are overbooked said

Beam. The cutoff is usually 100 people, but 104 are going to Honduras

and 117 to New York.

“The good thing is the relationship that the N.C. Baptists

have with the locals is incredible,” said Powell, who also is state coordinator

for student mobilization. Powell has worked with youth since 1998 and is amazed

“to see the desire that the students have to be involved with something.”

Powell said he tries to teach his youth that missions is not

just who they are but where they are.

“It’s just so cool to see them realize, ‘Hey, I can do

this,’” Powell said.

Other sessions were taught on leading/participating in

worship, planning a mission trip, human trafficking, icebreakers, evangelism,

recognizing God’s gifts, etc. Powell said conferences where youth leaders could

discuss what is and isn’t working are also helpful.

At least two of the conferences were led by students.

“If you have a student that is passionate about something

and you can tell it’s important to them, it’s important to connect them with a

ministry they can … take ownership of,” Powell said.

Although this was the first time Baptist Men offered a youth

conference with its annual meeting, Beam said it will not be the last. Next

year’s event is slated April 14, 2012

in conjunction with the Baptist Men’s annual meeting again.

Beam set aside time to recognize people for participating in

Challengers, a ministry centered around missions for teen boys and girls. The

recipients were from Faith Baptist

Church in Salisbury

and Liberty Baptist

Church in Thomasville.

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